Blading for turbines.



' L. A. HAINES. BLADING FOR TURBINES. APPLIOATION FILED APR. 25, 1910.

977,299 Patented Nov; 29, W10.

2 EHEETB-SHEET 1.,

L. A. HAI NES. BLADING FOR TURBINES. APPLIGATIOII FILED APR. 25'. 1910.

Patented Nov. 29, 1910.

2 sums-sum! LEWIS A. names, or COLUMBUS, 01110.

BLADING FOR TURBINES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Nov. 29, 1910.

Application filed April 25, 1910. Serial No. 557,448.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. LEWIS A. HAINES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Bladingfor Turbines, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to turbines and more particularly to blading orbucket means for turbines.

One objectof the invention is to provide simple and efi'cctive means forexpeditiously assembling and positively securing turbine blades orbuckets to their supporting elements with a resultant increase in theefficiency and commercial advantages of turbine structures generally.

The invention contemplates the association of a plurality of blades orbuckets held in spaced relation by separate interposed blocks, theblades or buckets and blocks having a relative configuration and snuglyinterfitting at their applied portions, and a strand or wire threadedthrough the blades or'buckets to provide-a flexible organization whichis applied to either a rotating or fixed supporting element.

The invention further consists in the details of construction andarrangement. of the several parts which will be more fully hereinafterspecified.

For the sake of brevity and also for convenience of description, theterm blade or blades, buckets, or vanes wherever used throughout thespecification and in the claims will be employed to denote either therotating blades, buckets or vanes,

or the stationary similar devices, and the" term blade carrying elementwill denote either the stationary or the rotating blade carrying elementor ring.

In the drawings Figure l is an elevation of a blade or bucket carryingelenient'partially in section and embodying the features of theinvention.- Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse vertical section through aportion of the structure as shownby Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview, partially in full and dotted lines, showing the flexible bar orstrip of blades or buckets for application to the carrying element. Fig.4 is a detail transverse vertical section through a portion of thecarrying element and blades or buckets and space blocks showing thelatter and the securing means asthey appear prior to the finalcompressing or swaging operations. Fig. 5 is a top plan View of aportion of the carrying element and blades or. buckets 'and'spaceblocks, and particularly illustrating the formation of the keys on the'calking strip and the blocks relativelyto the carrying element. Fig. 6is a detail perspective view of one of the end blades or buckets. Fig. 7is a detail perspective view of one of the intermediate bladesorbuckets.

.Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of one of the space blocks. Fig. 9is a detail perspective view of a portion of the calking strip forsecuring the blades or buckets and space blocks on the carrying element.

Each blade carrying element 5 is formed with an outer circumferentiallyextending channel or groove 6 of greater width than the bases of theblades or buckets and space blocks or-spacers" disposed therein, and theopposite side walls of each channel or groove are formed withcounter-grooves or key seats 7 The blades or buckets 8 are of aproximate crescent-shape and are of suc length as to have a practicalprojection outwardly from the blade or bucketcarrying element 5 whenapplied and are held in spaced relation by space blocks or spacers 9formed with 'front and rear sides of concave and convex contourcorresponding to the similar contours of the front and rear sides orfaces of the blades or buckets. By this relative contour of the bladesor buckets and the blocks or spacers a snug interfitting I of the inneror base extremities of the blades or buckets and the blocks orspacersensues when the said parts are associated in o erative relation.- Theopposite ends 0 the blocks or spacers 9 are thicker or heavier than theintermediate portions of the same and form practically aistraightwall oneach side of the series of the blades or buckets and the blocks when thelatter parts are assembled. The blocks or spacers 9 are normall of aslightly greater length than the dept of the channel or groove 6,"butwhen-the blades or buckets and the blocks or spacers are finally securedin place the top surfaces of the blocks will be flush with the outersurface of the element 5, as will be more fully hereinafter explained;-

All of the blades or buckets and the blocks 7 thereof which are disposedin the channel or groove 6 of the element 5, there being a singleopening in each blade or bucket and block or spacer, and the openings ofall of the blades or buckets and blocks or spacers are formed in thesame position or have an exact location so that when the blades orbuckets and the blocks or spacers are assembled the openingstherethrough will provide a practically continuous bore. Through themedium of the openin s in the blades or buckets and blocks or spacersand respectively dosi natcd by the numerals l0 and 11, the said partsmay be assembled to form a flexible bucket bar, as it were, through themedium of a strand or wire 12 which is threaded through the openings. Itis preferred, in order to tightly associate and cause 1 a preliminarysnug inter-fitting of the blades or buckets and the blocks or spacers,that the latter be strung on the strand or wire 12 in successive groupsof predetermined number and tightened up by suitable clamping means, onegroup first being clamped, a sec- 0nd group then being forced up againstthe first group and clamped and the succeeding groups likewise applieduntil the requisite number of blades or buckets and blocks or spacershas been strung on the wire. The wire ends will project from the endblade or bucket or block or spacer at each extremity of the flexible barso produced and all ot the buckets and blocks will be held tightlyclamped on the wire and in this condition disposed in the channel orgroove 6, the or strip of buckets and blocks being gradually bent toconform to the curvature of the base of the said channel or groove '6and the buckets thereby caused to assume a proper radial relation to thecarrying element 5. After the flexible bar of buckets and blocks hasbeen fully applied around the carrying element 5, the projecting ends ofthe strand or wire 12 are bent downwardly and passed through to theinner side of the element 5, as at 13, and secured by bending the same,but prior to the final secureinent of the strand or wire ends a suitableclamping band or other clamping "means to exert drawing action on theblades or buckets is l applied over the latter and operated to graduallydraw and tighten the series of buckets and blocks toward the two endswhere the ends otthe wire are to be secured, and when the proper degreeof tightness has j v [strip 16 and than been obtained the wire ends arethen bent in opposite dircctionsagainst the inner side or periphery ofthe carrying element 5 as shown.

After the wire ends have been secured as i block being of the samecontour as the remaining blocks 5) but without the opening adl jacent tothe bcnt ends of the wire. said key 11 theretluongh. To accommodatesclose bending of the wire ends against the base portions of the endbuckets ol? the series, said buckets have depending grooves as at 15,one in. each bucket. and into these grooves the wire sinks or is drawnwhen the final tightening of the flexibly associated series of blades orbuckets and blocks ei'l'ected. I

As hereinbc'tore intimated, the channel or groove 6 is wider than theblades or buckets and blocks, and in the space formed between the oneside of the associated blades or bur cts and blocks and adjacent sidewall oi the channel a copper milking or milking s i p ll) i. introducedand hammered or expanded so as to force a portion thereof into theadjacent gr'oc've 7 to provide a key, as at 1'7. This copper or analo'ous talking or calking strip ll' may be compress it into the space asjust specified through the medium of a suitable pneumatic hammer, andprimarily the said calking or calking strip will snu 'ly lit the spatein crosssection and also sli 'htly project above and outwardlybeyond'the outer edge portion ot the element 5. When the copper calkingor calking strip ill is secured in place, the outer edge thereof will beflush with the outer edge oortion of the element 5 The upper portions oithe blocks or spacers are next l-tubiected to a swaging action byintroducing a pneumatic hauuiier between the buckets f nd against thesaid blocks and the upper slig itlyprojected portions of said blocks orthe metal embodied in said projecti ig portions will be compressed intothe body of the blocks and cause the latter to expand and entirely closeup any cracks or crevices between the inner extremities of the blades orbuckets and the blocks and also cause the latter to expand laterallyinto the groove 7 opposite that engaged by the expandcd portion or keyl? of the copper calklug or calking strip it; to form key means l8.W'hen thiscompression of the blocks will have been completed their upperporlions will also be flush with the outer edge portions of the carryingelement 3 and zopper calking or calking strip ill. and the buckcts andblocks will securely and positively held in the carrying elementand re-HSl any tendency to loosening or displacement. The buckets and blocksmay be rcplaced at any time found. necessary by first -cutting out (hecoppcr (talking or cal'king subsequently inserting a now culking stripin the manner hcreinbelorc explained.

ll' hat is claimed is:

1. In a turbine the combination with a circuniferentially channeledsupporting element, of a flexible blade bar composed of a plurality oiblades and space blocks alternately arranged and threaned on a stringer,the bar being applied in the channeled sup- I applied bar and fittedover the extremities of the stringer. v

4. In a turbine, the combination vwith a-- the stringer having itsextremities inserted vice inserted between the ends of the flexibleporting element and having the ends'of the stringer passed through andsecured to said Supporting element. v

2. In a turbine, the combination with a' supporting element having acircumferential channel, of a plurality of alternately arranged bladesor buckets and space devices of relative configurations, the blades orbuckets and space devices being preliminar- 11y disposed on a flexiblestringer and-applied in and bent around the said channel,

supporting element, of a flexible blade or bucket bar applied around andsecured to said supporting element and having a stringer extendingtherethrough, a key deblade or bucket bar Whenthe latter is applied, andcalking means interposed between the applied blade or bucket bar and aportion of the supporting element and having a part of the. sameprojected into the said element.

5. In a turbine, the combination Witlna l supporting element, of aflexible blade or bucket bar applied around and secured to saidsupporting element, the blade or bucket bar being composed of aplurality of blades or buckets and space devices and a flexible strandthreaded through the blades or buckets and space devices prior to theapplication of the latter to the supporting element, the

extremities of the flexible strand being in serted through portions ofthe supporting element and serving as a holding means for the blade orbucket bar.

6. In a turbine, the combination with a supporting element having agroove therein,

of a flexible motive agent engaging means provided with a stringerextending therethrough, the extremities of the stii gcr being removablyinserted through a portion of the supporting element, and calking meansinterposed between a portion of the supportv ing element and the motiveagent engaging means.

7. In a turbine. the combination'vvith a supporting element having agroove there1n,-

of a flexible blade or'bucketbar having a stringer extendingtherethrough and prel1m-' inarily prepared and applied to the groove ofthe supporting element, the blade 'or bucket bar being composed of aplurality of alternately arranged blades or buckets and space devicesclosely inter-fitting and disposed in relative position prior to aplication to the supporting element, a We ge device interposed betweenthe contiguous ends of the applied bar, and calking means interposedbetween one side of the bar and the adjacent portion of the supportingelement.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto semy hand in presence of twosubscribing Witnesses. I

LEWIS A. I-IAINES. Witnesses CIrAs. S. Hymn, JAMES L. Remus, Jr.

